Ultimate 2015 Movie Preview Part 1

Welcome to The Ultimate 2015 Movie Preview, by now the wrapping paper has been crammed into the recycle bin, the mountains of rich food, booze and seasonal treats have dissipated and we are set for a new year full of resolutions to do better, live better and hit the gym more often, at least for the next two weeks.

One resolution we should all consider is to see more movies. 2015 is set to be one of the best years for big screen entertainment this side of the millennium so lets have a look at what’s in store for us over the next 12 months.

January

The year got off to a great start with Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman, starring Michael Keaton in what is being hailed as a career best performance. Later on in January we see the release of Inherent Vice, a detective story set at the tail end of the sixties starring Joaquin Phoenix and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.

Liam Neeson returns for Taken 3or Tak3n as it is being advertised, I guess Taken: With A Vengeance was too close to the Die Hard trilogy. Clint Eastwood returns to the directors chair with American Sniper starring Bradley Cooper in this tale about the horrors of war.

Also out is Mortdecai, starring Johnny Depp and featuring Gwyneth Paltrow, and Paul Bettany, and Ewan McGregor from the trailers it appears to be a Austin powers-esque adventure. It doesn’t look like it will be particularly good be I would be happy to be proven wrong. Black Sea starring Jude Law is a tense, claustrophobic thriller which sees a group crew of British and Russians navigate a submarine through the Black Sea in search of a Nazi U-boat filled with gold.

February

February kicks off with fantasy & adventure in Seventh Son the latest in teen literature to be adapted for the big screen. Based on The Spook’s apprentice. The film reconnects with Big Lebowski alumni Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore. It looks like something for fans of the book but will it attract a wider audience? Everyone’s favourite yellow sponge returns to the big screen in TheSponge Bob Movie: Sponge Out of Water. Next up The Wachowski’s bring their latest offering to the silver screen with Jupiter Ascending. The film’s release was delayed which is not usually a good sign however given their track record I am sure we will be in for a visual treat in this fantasy themed space opera, and at very least it is a new, original film and not a sequel or remake.

The big film out this February that “everyone” will be taking about is Fifty Shades of Grey given that this started out as Twilight fan fiction and given that that franchise is already responsible for five terrible movies I see little reason to consider this worthy of viewing but who am I to tell you what to do, it may at least be a better viewing experience than Hot Tub Time Machine 2 yes I know, I was as surprised as you when this got green lit. Will Smith returns to the big screen as a conman with a new intern in Focus. Wikipedia describes it as a “romantic comedy-drama” from the trailer it is hard to tell if they have struck the right balance. What do you think?

March

Johnny five is alive, sorry wrong movie; from director Neill Blomkamp comes Chappie a tale of a robot learning about life and his potential to become something more. Blomkamp has a good track record with District 9 and Elysium, this time around he appears to be pitching to a more family friendly audience. The film appears to have a lot of heart without too much schmaltz. Starring Dev Patel and featuring Hugh Jackman and Sigourney Weaver this looks like it could be a solid pre-summer hit.

It’s been a while since Al Pacino has starred in anything of note but that could change with Danny Collinsthe tale of an ageing musician who tries to re-evaluate his life after receiving a letter that was sent to him 40 years ago by John Lennon. Annette Benning also features in a film that will surely be one to see with your mum.

Next up is Unfinished Business which sees a welcome return for Vince Vaughan obviously wanting to squeeze out one more goofball comedy before we next see him in season 2 of True Detective which I can only assume will be a little more serious. There is nothing we haven’t seen before in the trailer but there is a strong cast including Nick Frost, Tom Wilkinson, and Sienna Miller. Disney follow up their so so live action retelling of Alice in Wonderland with a live action retelling of Cinderella, will it be any good? Maybe, but you can save yourself two hours and just watch the trailer, the whole story is there from start to finish.

In the Heart of the Sea is an ocean bound adventure from Ron Howard telling the true story that inspired Moby Dick. Chris Hemsworth leads an all star cast including Cilian Murphy, Ben Whishaw, and Brendan Gleeson..

More franchise releases in March this time in the shape of Divergent follow up Insurgent expect bigger and better from what looks to be the current successor for Tweenie film series du jour once the Hunger Games series finishes up. Haunted house shenanigans abound with Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension. Sean Penn goes full Bourne in The Gunman a hit man story from Pierre Morel director of Taken, Ray Winstone, Idris Elba, and Javier Bardem round out the cast.

Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence team up again, they must have a box set worth of movies at this stage, in Serena. The month finishes up with Will Ferrell playing James King, a stupid, rich, white man being prepared for a prison sentence in Get Hard. Training King for prison is an African American Darnell Lewis, played by Kevin Hart, the joke being he would of course know what prison is like because he is black, because racism is funny, he said sarcastically. Dreamworks animation provide something for the family audiences (mostly for the littleuns’) with Home.

April

Child 44 sees Tom Hardy and Gary Oldman in this Soviet set thriller where Oldman investigates a series of child murders which the state covering everything up. The Woman In Gold Sees Helen Mirren in this true life drama as she attempts to reclaim a painting stolen from her family by the Nazis, Ryan Reynolds and Daniel Bruhl Help her along the way.As we get closer to summer Hollywood begins to flex it’s muscles and send in the big guns and with Fast & Furious 7 there appears to be plenty of both.

This film was in jeopardy following the tragic death of star Paul Walker but they managed to complete the picture with help from friends and family and from the trailer it looks like it is going to be one hell of a ride and with Jason ‘The stath’ Statham playing the villain you could hardly ask for more.

2015 is shaping up to be a great year for sci- fi fans Alex Garland’s Ex-Machina staring Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, and Alicia Vikander definitley looks like it will be ticking the cerebral box in this tale of artificial intelligence and what it means to be human.

Sean Penn is not the only new hit man this year, Simon Pegg takes the lead in Kill Me Three Times Pegg plays a hit man tasked with killing a man’s wife but he soon discovers he is not the only one on the job and that it’s a lot harder than it looks. When you hear that a film has Jonah Hill and James Franco in the leading roles you’d be forgive for assuming that fart jokes, smoking weed, and overthrowing dictators would form a large portion of the plot. Not so with True Story a serious looking drama/thriller based on the memoirs of reporter Michael Finkel.

Kevin James returns for Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 Trailer and the world screams WHY????? The trailer alone is awful, it’s amazing that films this bad still get made and the worst thing is this will probably turn a profit. Rounding out April is The Age of Adaline which sees Blake Lively play a woman who never grows old, There is a Benjamon Button feel to this film. The Water Diviner the story of a man, played by Russell Crowe, who goes in search of his sons who go missing while fighting in World War 1.

MAY

Not a huge amount of films being released this month as we see the big movies heralding another comic book character dominated summer. First up, the first of Marvel’s two summer instalments, is the highly anticipated sequel to the Avengers with Avengers: Age of Ultron This time around we see James Spader as the titular villain go up against a team that has bonded since the last film but there appears to be still enough tension to keep the Avengers as a cautious assembly. Expect huge special effects, character drama and Easter eggs a plenty as fans will surely be watching to see how this will link into the ever expanding cinematic universe.

If Comic book characters aren’t your thing than Thomas Vinterberg’s adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s Far From the Madding Crowd starring Carey Mulligan may have what you seek or if you want a few laughs perhaps singing sequel Perfect Pitch 2 will lift your spirits.

Mad Max: Fury Road is the next big summer film. For a long time I wasn’t sure if this even had the possibility of being any good, The endless remakes of cult classics seems so dull. That said The film making techniques and special effects available today mean that those old films can be remade to show of their true potential and visualise a world that was barely possible 30 years ago. Having seen the great performances that Tom Hardy has delivered in the past few years, not to mention the visually stunning trailer that was released at Comic Con Max could be something rather special, fingers crossed.

The team behind Tomorrowland are keeping their cards close to their chest. Brad Bird’s new project will no doubt be something to get very excited about considering this is the guy who previously brought us Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Ratatouille, and The Incredibles. Check out the teaser below if you need more convincing.

Summer disaster movie San Andreas sees the Rock take another bite out of the Summer blockbuster buffet; If you want to see two hours of buildings falling down and the Rock heroically shouting at people, this could be the film for you. It does however looks like Godzilla without Godzilla.

June

June’s big hitter comes in the form of Jurassic World. Chris Pratt, “the instant movie star”, following his turn as Star Lord in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, takes on saving the world duty and some big, bad, dinosaurs in a surprise sequel that everyone is hoping will be good. Fans of TV show Entourage will get the chance to see how the guys fair as the show transitions to the big screen.

Horror franchise Insidious returns for another outing with Insidious: Chapter 3. Pixar return with their latest offering in the shape of a film that for anyone who remembers reading the Numbskulls in the Beano comics will feel a little familiar, however it is Pixar and they have a history of taking simple ideas and creating magic.

Fans of the Transporter films may be interested in a new addition to the franchise in the form of a prequel, Transporter 4 stars Ed Skrein, Who Game of Thrones fans may recognize from plaing Daario Naharis. Jason Statham will not be joining the cast this time around. Seth McFarlane’s Ted 2 sees everyones favourtite foul mouth teddy bear return for more wacky escapades, while the first film was fun will there be enough fuel in the tank to get through a second film? Given the disaster that was A Million Ways to Die in the West this could be make or break for McFarlane’s film career.

That’s the end of part 1 for our 2015 Movie Preview. What do you think so far? Comment below on the films you are looking forward to seeing this year. For part 2 of the Ultimate Movie preview click here